For several decades, those in boating have desired a small, compact boat that can be easily hauled to various locations, unfolded, and launched, and yet still provide sufficient support and security in the water. Such combinations include a "folding boat and trailer" to Johanson U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,805, a "folding boat construction and means for mounting same to a carrier" to Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,202, and a "folding boat with a detachable land wheels" to Evans, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,733. While those have approached the ideals and goals of the present invention, they have still fallen short in providing a suitable answer to the need. Especially desirable has been the additional utility of providing a multi-purpose devise suitable for camping, boating, and a variety of uses. The present invention goes beyond those mentioned above and others and provides a unique combination that can be used for multiple purposes and yet function very suitably as well described below. Perhaps part of the reason that a suitable answer has not been widely used in the marketplace is because of the lack of fully functional characteristics found in these alternative designs as disclosed in prior patents. The present invention offers that combination and as of the filing of the application for this patent, has orders for several thousand units. Even those involved in the manufacturing of this design have expressed surprise at the uniqueness and simplicity of the various features that may combine for a unique and satisfactory blending of the various purposes for which the invention is designed.
Part of the motivation for designing such a system is the desire by many owners of boats to be able to store the boat in a typical home garage between the various items already present in the garage. While in many instances, a fully extended typical boat may take up an entire bay of the garage, foldable boats easily can be slipped into at least half the space. In some instances, boat owners have to take a double car garage and park the boat diagonally such that two bays are taken up leaving little space for other items to be stored. With the present invention, a much more efficient use of the space may be made, including, for instance, folding the boat and the trailer in a vertical position for very compact storage. Yet, in an unfolded condition, the boat may be a full size fishing boat suitable for a variety of uses in fresh water and salt water. Another motivation for a folding boat of this design is that it may store a variety of items either loose or in packages under cover between the two shells, as will be described below. Normally, a separate, enclosed trailer would be needed. Still further, such a design may be used in an open manner to haul larger items. Thus, such a device as the present invention may offer a large amount of utility in a little amount of space.
One of the difficulties to date with any of these other designs, which the present invention answers, is one of stability. The common fear, and perhaps with some justification, is that the boat may collapse, fold in the middle, and sink the occupants and contents. However, the present invention offers a unique structure that significantly reduces or eliminates this risk.
The other problem that has gone unanswered satisfactorily by many is the awkwardness or perhaps difficulty in which the two halves are secured together. For instance, a typical answer might be one such as shown in Johnson '202 where the two halves are simply held together by a bolt and nut arrangement. Naturally, this can be effective at holding, but it may require time, effort, perhaps tools, and in salt water the items may corrode, lending even more difficulty to removal and installation.
In short, even though the idea of a folding boat has been known for quite some time, the combination of useable elements that would be desired and produce a commercially viable invention simply has not been realized prior to the present invention. As mentioned above, those with ordinary skill in the art have expressed surprise when seeing the unique combination of features or even individual features that offer perhaps for the first time, a truly viable folding boat in combination with its other purposes such as camping, transportation, and storage. Indeed, there has been a long felt but unsatisfied need for the invention while the needing implementing arts and elements have long been available. It simply took a proper perspective to solve the long felt need. Those with ordinary skill in the art certainly appreciated that the problem existed, but just were unsure how to solve it. As mentioned above, many others made substantial attempts to fill the need but were unable, prior to the present invention, to understand how to first, solve the problem, and second, how to provide a combination of features that would meet the needs described above. Furthermore, the commercial success of the invention already, as early as even the date of filing this application, shows that those in the art recognize the uniqueness of this invention. Those with ordinary skill in the art have expressed some disbelief and incredulity that such an arrangement could offer the stability that this arrangement offers. For instance, a test has been performed on this particular structure where approximately 400 pounds has been loaded into each half for a total of 800 pounds and yet the boat has not folded or collapsed, even without a securing element. Naturally, such an unusually large amount of weight in the small structure is not recommended for use, but the test results show that the boat has a large amount of stability not heretofore realized.